W209 seat belt stuck won't go back in.

[coupefan]

Today I got in the car and the driver's seat belt was stuck. The mechanical arm just kept coming out and going back in again! I gave the belt a tug and it came out but with no tension and it won't go back in again! The belt is now fully out so I can't drive it. I have looked at many forums and it seems a very tricky job to get the trim off and get to the seat belt tensioner or spring. I'm sure it's just a broken clip or something so I am loath to take it to the MB dealer. Any suggestions guys?
Many thanks.

 

[coupefan]

I took the car to John Haynes in Goring-on-Sea, near Worthing and they were excellent. In and out in less than an hour and nice people. They did an excellent job. It seems that this is quite a common fault on these cars. This is potentially a lethal defect in the seat belt system and not one I have ever encountered in other cars. I have contacted Mercedes Benz customer services about this but so far they have not been very communicative or helpful in any way. I will be starting a new thread regarding this issue soon. It would be nice to know how many other members have had this problem and perhaps we can do something about it before someone is killed. MB have spent a lot of money designing a very expensive seatbelt reel with explosive retraction but the basic reel has cheap nylon sprockets and the central spring retainer is very flimsy indeed. If it were to fail in an accident....well....

However, I can definitely recommend John Haynes Mercedes though who were far more helpful and efficient than my home town MB dealer. Well worth the drive to Worthing which is just off the A27 or A259